I thought the recruitment of Matt Bishop might improve McLaren's 'heavy-handed' PR (like Ron's public conversation - in civvies - with Alonso last year in front of all the photographers).

But this was a dreadful nauseating piece of TV ... The whole thing seemed so rehersed and false. Why do McLaren feel the need to beat us over the head with a stick with the message:
'OUR DRIVERS ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD PALS. REALLY!!!!'
It was this sort of crap that made them look like idiots last year - have they learned anything?!??

Originally posted by pjabyrne Did anyone see this in the run-up to the GP?

I thought the recruitment of Matt Bishop might improve McLaren's 'heavy-handed' PR (like Ron's public conversation - in civvies - with Alonso last year in front of all the photographers).

But this was a dreadful nauseating piece of TV ... The whole thing seemed so rehersed and false. Why do McLaren feel the need to beat us over the head with a stick with the message: 'OUR DRIVERS ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD PALS. REALLY!!!!' It was this sort of crap that made them look like idiots last year - have they learned anything?!??

I thought exactly the same thing. Alright matey mate, we really are such great mates and we go down the pub together all the time. It was like McLaren trying to do men behaving badly.

Well, right there it started to go wrong last year as Alonso wouldn't really play along with all this matey-mate, my dearest pal stuff. Didn't Lewis complain how hard it was to chat with Alonso? He should have been grateful that it wasn't Kimi anymore at McLaren, then he would have felt really lonely.;)

So far this year they really try to give a different impression. Although I still entertain the hope that Heikki is just lulling them and will match Lewis in egocentric ruthlessness if the need and opportunity arises...

I dunno, it does seem a bit sad that a team once admired for it's integrity now seems addicted to PR, spin, artificiality etc. and has lead to the perception of a team that no longer knows how to be honest in anything it does.

...that said, I am sure Lewis and Heikki can get along fine as friends....so long as Heikki doesn't get any silly ideas about beating his illustrious teammate, of course...

Agreed, it was totally, totally dreadful. I like both drivers but had to turn it off.
I think ITV adopted the wrong approach. They sat Lewis and Heikki on a couch and waited for it to happen, and it looked as though someone was prodding Lewis: "Come on man, be cheeky!"
They should've put a radio microphone on each and just followed them around for an afternoon when they were together and cut together the best moments of their interacton. That way it seems so much more natural.
As for Bishop, if he were responsible I hope he is learning that TV and print are very different animals. I'm sure you could throw together an F1 Racing piece on the interaction we saw, using heavy handed colour writing to illustrate what a great atmosphere there is between them. But TV is far too honest a medium for this Heikki and Lewis show to work...

I agree it seemed like McLaren feel they need to let everyone know (or be told) that their drivers get on really well. Naturally most people see this as "well, why wouldnt they?" and no end of conspiracies evolve.

During the winter break I saw Hamilton on Top Gear and later at the Parkinson talk show. He was relaxed and articulated, pulled a joke or two and I was quite impressed. The first time. When he basically repeated the whole "show" on Parkinson I was quite surprised and, I must admit, I lost interest in him. It just un-clicked.

Funny BTW how both Parkinson and Jeremy Clarkson asked the same questions.

Yes I saw that and thought, gosh this is contrived. I think both Lewis and Kovo were trying hard to kick it a little. Shoot the breeze, knowing a few mill would be watching must have helped.

However I did enjoy the bit when they started talking about racing in Macau. That little bit seemed real.. That they were talking about racing in Macau.. Apparently the best track ever according to LH and HK went on to suggest he’d love to take a F1 car to that track. Unless I got that wrong.

Still I think they should have asked them questions about racing and let them talk about the subject. I’d like to see someone like JYS interview them and talk about racing (not life, just racing), techniques, experiences, favourite drivers, memorable battles.. the limit etc.

I would love them to take both LH and HK to the Nurbergring and let them loose in a manual C-Class AMG something or other.
I wonder if they can heel-toe, left foot brake with 3 pedals?? I am sure they can.

I could see it was on but avoided listening, too embarrassing . McLaren should just give up on PR, they are so useless at it. They looked a lot worse than they needed to last year, saying nothing when they should have been putting their side, and saying the wrong thing at every other time. Stick to the racing, Ron.

I thought it was alright, oddly enough: they're both nice lads with good personalities, and enough of that made it through the cheesy set up to make it worthwhile. I particularly liked Heikki getting a mad twinkle in his eye and throwing a bit of a spanner in the works:

Lewis: Yeah, I stopped off in Hong Kong for a few days on the way over, just to chill out a bit.
Heikki (smirking) : Come on, tell them the real reason.
Lewis (pulling back) : Um ... what?
Heikki (smiling broadly) : You know, the real reason you stopped there!
Lewis (looking around madly) : Er, you mean, er...
Heikki (openly laughing) : Yeah, you went there for ... the casino!
Lewis (stops) : Oh ... yeah, that was great! (thinks: phew, the press only just stopped writing about my HK based ex-girlfriend a few months ago...)

Well... everybody says that Heikki Kovolainen is really likeable chap... and according to the interviews this seems to be true. I don't think it's completely impossible that they actually ARE good friends. I think they knew eachother quite well before Heikki joined McLaren.

I didn't think anyone is bashing in this thread.. some criticisms of Macs PR but not bashing.

It was just a cheesy moment but I think everyone is just highlighting the cheese factor and also highlighting the bit they did like.

I personally would find it hard to have a natural conversation with my best buddy in front of a TV camera. So it came off a bit cheese ridden but overall there were good points. I like both the drivers and enjoyed some parts of the conversation.

Originally posted by StefanV During the winter break I saw Hamilton on Top Gear and later at the Parkinson talk show. He was relaxed and articulated, pulled a joke or two and I was quite impressed. The first time. When he basically repeated the whole "show" on Parkinson I was quite surprised and, I must admit, I lost interest in him. It just un-clicked.

Funny BTW how both Parkinson and Jeremy Clarkson asked the same questions.

My girlfriend coined the term dial-tone after seeing him on Parkinson. He was about as pleasant to watch as terrier and box jellyfish in a wading pool.

Originally posted by Apocalypse Everything in F1 isn't always a conspiracy.;)

Shush! don't spoil the illusion ;) some people aren't happy unless there is a good conspiracy.

It could have been just as much or if not more of ITV's idea than McLarens. Just a thought.

It did appear a tad contrived, but it would have probably been just the same if you'd stuck Raikkonen and Felipe Massa into that situation, or any other driver pairing for that matter. Sticking two guys down on a sofa in front of camera to be aired to millions and contrive a conversation where they can show their friendship is never going to come off natural is it? They would have been better off taking them off to do an activity and watch how they get on.

Probably isn't any need to 'advertise' the fact they get on really well, as that would become pretty apparent over time anyway. Nevermind.

Originally posted by jonpollak PS..and kar...Dial Tone?We ALL know who the dial tone is, at least to the press...unless you are Tamara ;)

Jp

Haha, it wasn't me that came up with the term for him but the missus, I just liked it so much I use it so often

The other driver you might be referring to as a 'dial-tone' can't possibly be, as that would mean he has more than _one_ tone, which we know for a fact is not true :-) A dial tone usually warbles between two

give me a shout when we reach the bottom of the barrell for attempting to hate on hamilton ... all this scraping is giving me an earache.

if the best the combined wit of the atlas trolls can come up with is a couple of pregnant pauses in a sponsor friendly pr videotape, to try and damn lewis and mclaren, then i think we must just about be out of ideas around here. beyond tedious now, sort it out.

Stop being so mean, it's not good to be this bitter. Perhaps admit you just dislike him cos he doesn't (and wouldn't) drive for Ferrari.

I know the reply wasn't to me, but anyway...have faith. Perhaps, like Kimi, he will spend several frustrating years at McLaren before moving on to his finest years at Ferrari, which will forever after be known as the "Lewis wins 6 WDC" period.

Originally posted by Perigee I know the reply wasn't to me, but anyway...have faith. Perhaps, like Kimi, he will spend several frustrating years at McLaren before moving on to his finest years at Ferrari, which will forever after be known as the "Lewis wins 6 WDC" period.

Although, after last Sunday, perhaps it's me that needs the faith!

I'm just objecting to the insults flying around here. It's a bit pathetic in my opinion. But hey, if you enjoy it, carry on.

honestly, after reading the whole thread I was expecting to watch something completely different, but what I found was something almost ordinary. I agree with the one who said there's nothing wrong in the clip, i.e. it is for the telly, but they are talking to each other as natural as they can.

They plonk two kids down in front of camera thats going to be shown to millions and told to act natural.

Exactly... it's never going to work. Not in the least because of things like this thread, too much importance is given to something everybody knows was done to say 'look, our drivers actually talk to each other this year!'.

Originally posted by Antonio honestly, after reading the whole thread I was expecting to watch something completely different, but what I found was something almost ordinary. I agree with the one who said there's nothing wrong in the clip, i.e. it is for the telly, but they are talking to each other as natural as they can.

totally agree

i dont really like lewis and i thought this clip was fine. i was expecting something very different after reading the thread. i did like the part when heikki was telling lewis about playing music with real instruments.

Originally posted by Antonio honestly, after reading the whole thread I was expecting to watch something completely different, but what I found was something almost ordinary. I agree with the one who said there's nothing wrong in the clip, i.e. it is for the telly, but they are talking to each other as natural as they can.

Well there is something odd with the clip but I think that it is normal. You shouldn't expect that two kids could speak to each other naturally when the camera is in front of them, but one thing is for sure, the conversation is not scripted. Maybe they were given the points that needed to be discussed but the whole discussion is itself is spontaneous.

A little bit stilted but they are not payed to be bloody actors, they are professional racing drivers! The lengths that some people go to criticise Hamilton beggars belief, I almost feel like a Schumacher fan!

Or maybe he was there for the prostitutes. Apart from the gambling, this is Macau's major pull - the prostitution scene there is huge (forget the GP, much fewer people know about that).

Originally posted by Jackman I thought it was alright, oddly enough: they're both nice lads with good personalities, and enough of that made it through the cheesy set up to make it worthwhile. I particularly liked Heikki getting a mad twinkle in his eye and throwing a bit of a spanner in the works:

Lewis: Yeah, I stopped off in Hong Kong for a few days on the way over, just to chill out a bit. Heikki (smirking) : Come on, tell them the real reason. Lewis (pulling back) : Um ... what? Heikki (smiling broadly) : You know, the real reason you stopped there! Lewis (looking around madly) : Er, you mean, er... Heikki (openly laughing) : Yeah, you went there for ... the casino! Lewis (stops) : Oh ... yeah, that was great! (thinks: phew, the press only just stopped writing about my HK based ex-girlfriend a few months ago...)

Originally posted by rolf123 Or maybe he was there for the prostitutes. Apart from the gambling, this is Macau's major pull - the prostitution scene there is huge (forget the GP, much fewer people know about that).

I doubt that he needs to pay someone to have sex with. I'm sure that some girls would even dream about sleeping with him because:1) He is a successful racing driver, how cool is that?2) He is rich especially for someone at his age.3) He is black and normally black people have "something" that is "bigger" (not being a racist but a compliment actually)